Mental health impact of drug-facilitated sexual assault on young women.

This study investigates the prevalence of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among victims of drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) and associated risk factors. Data were analyzed from 381 women aged 18–35 in Spain who reported experiencing DFSA—defined as unwanted sexual touching, kissing, masturbation, oral sex, or penetration in party-related contexts —at least once in their lifetime. Participants were recruited through a population-based cross-sectional survey in 2022. Mental health outcomes attributed to DFSA, whether self-perceived or professionally diagnosed, included: (1) depression, (2) anxiety, and (3) suicidality, distinguishing between ideation and attempts. Sociodemographic data and characteristics of the most recent DFSA incident were collected. Prevalence estimates were calculated, and univariate and multivariate binary logistic regression analyses were performed to identify associated factors. Depression was reported by 34.6% of participants (12.3% diagnosed; 22.3% self-perceived), anxiety by 53.6% (21.3% diagnosed; 32.6% self-perceived), and suicidality by 21.1%, including 6.3% reported suicide attempts. In multivariate models, women identifying with diverse sexual orientation and those with low or medium-low socioeconomic status had higher odds of depression (OR = 2.31 and 2.27), anxiety (OR = 2.64 and 4.75), and suicidality (OR = 2.09 and 3.13) (p < 0.05). The risk was significantly increased among cases involving penetrative DFSA—masturbation, oral sex, or penetration— with odds ratio of 3.03 for depression, 4.75 for anxiety, and 5.54 for suicidal ideation (p < 0.05–0.001). The discrepancy between self-perceived and diagnosed mental health conditions underscores barriers to accessing care. These results emphasize the need call for targeted, trauma-informed interventions for DFSA victims, especially in cases involving penetrative DFSA cases and among socioeconomically marginalized populations.